Kerry Washington Was Rejected From Roles For Not Being "Hood" Enough

Before getting the lead in Scandal, Kerry Washington had trouble scoring roles because of racial typecasting, she revealed in a recent episode of "Actors on Actors." The actress opened up about the struggle minorities face in Hollywood with fellow actor Aziz Ansari, of Master of None.

"Before Scandal, I was actually cast in two other pilots," she said. "Both went to series, but I was fired and recast. For both, it was because they wanted me to sound more 'girlfriend,' more like 'hood,' more 'urban.'"

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She and Ansari discussed what it was like being actors of color and showing up to auditions where casting directors already had a stereotypical idea of what roles they should play. Washington added that some of her male friends have even been asked to be more "feminine" for gay roles.

"I've had friends of mine say they're tired of 'gayface' and I was like, 'What's gayface?'" she said. "They were like, 'It's the gay version of blackface, like come in and be more effeminate.'"

Ansari responded: "It's interesting; every person that's not a straight, white guy has their version of this... you end up with other people's perception of what certain people are like."

Their conversation is relevant in the aftermath of #OscarsSoWhite and the continuing dialogue around the lack of diversity in Hollywood—a two-part discussion that includes the fact there aren't enough roles of color in TV and movies (a study found only 28.3% of speaking roles went to actors from ethnic groups), and that the minority roles we do see on screen are stereotypical or one-sided. (Halle Berry even says they're not "truthful.")

At this point in her career, Washington says she's now creating her own opportunities. "I definitely feel like I'm at that point where it's nice to not have to sit at home and wait to be invited to the party, but to be creating work for yourself," she said.

Watch Washington's full "Actors on Actors" conversation with Ansari below.

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